Tropical Ice-Land

by

The Fiery Furnaces

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WHAT? you might ask. MOST PSYCHEDELIC SONG? What about the Beatle's "STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER"? NO, its more far out. What about HENDRIX? More flipped out. What about Camper Van Beethovan's THIRD ALBUM? No, no, no, no matter what you say, from "8 MILES HIGH" by the Byrds, to the songs off ZAIREKA by THE FLAMMING LIPS, there is absolutely NOTHING in the world, that matches the new version of TROPICAL ICE-LAND that the Fiery Furnaces put on this CD SINGLE (also on the EP, if you want to save some $$). IT was BREATHTAKING, it literaly shook me out of my seat, when i heard this for the first time, the second time, etc. Its not like the ALBUM VERSION, which is sort of based on the acoustic guitar track, and lots of penguins in bondage sound effects. NO, this song has Keyboards, autoharps, strange breaks, backward lyrics, they increased the speed of the song for an even stranger effect (Variable Speed Ossalation, a psychedelic effect employed by the Beatles for many of their strangest tracks.) SO, the song is a whole step higher than the Album version. If you enjoy this kind of music, DO buy this song, either on this format, so you can have the cool artwork, or just get the EP CD. Either way, you are in for a treat for your brain. By the way, its the kind of song you end up walking around singing all day. So, expect musical flashbacks, its THAT PSYCHEDELIC. GEEZ, what are those two siblings on?

The Fiery Furnaces slipped onto the indie scene in 2003, with their offbeat collection of music-hall eccentricities, "Gallowsbird's Park." It was not only critically acclaimed, but it got them a devoted fan following who loved (and still love) their oddball music.

With a debut that unusual, it seems pretty appropriate that their "Tropical Iceland" single isn't quite... ordinary. Neither of these songs are on the actual album, although the title rerecording appears on their "EP" album.

The "Tropical Iceland" here isn't the same as the album's -- this is dancier, more energetic and full of rippling harps, blurry screeches and guitar dance music. Eleanor Friedberger belts out the nonsensical lyrics with tremendous enjoyment: "Tropi-cool, oh tropi-cool/Tropi-cool Icy-land/tropi-cool, oh the tropi-cool/Tropi-cool icy-icy!"

Similarly, we get the "SBN" version of "We Got The Plague," the last song on their debut. This is also very different from the "regular" version -- instead of straightforward acoustics, we get foot stomps, music-hall piano, and what sounds like a delirious kazoo.

Cheap as it is, is it worth it to get only two remixes or alternative versions? Well, in this case, it probably is. These versions take the oddball charm of the Furnaces and amp it up with psychedelic flourishes, over the piano and guitar of the originals.

These aren't mere remixes, or an alternative version with only a few things differently. These songs are different in every musical way, excepting the songwriting. What could it have used? A few more songs, to be honest -- the songs are good, but it needs a few more to round it out.

For die-hard fans of the Fiery Furnaces -- or people who want a tiny taste of their sound -- the "Tropical Iceland" single is a pretty good acquisition.